Million Yen Women: Netflix review

Million Yen Women, A Japanese Drama to Binge?

I wasn’t really expecting much when I happened upon Million Yen Women.

On a whim, I gave it a chance without really knowing what it was about – and I’m glad I did because Million Yen Women turned out to be quite entertaining.

And although it does have a rather unrealistic premise, it does manage to pull it off well enough to keep you watching.

The Story

The drama revolves around a published but failing Author known as Shin. A flashback to one year ago shows when five young women are invited to live with him. No one knows who sent the invitations or why, only that there is a list of rules that must be followed.

Each female member must pay one million yen in rent to Shin each month (wow!).Shin must take care of meals and house chores. Shin is not allowed to ask the women any questions.Shin is not allowed to enter any of the women’s rooms.

It’s a pretty strange situation, but things get even stranger when the deaths start coinciding with the success of Shin’s latest novel.

I know… it’s pretty far-fetched, but the drama is based on a manga.

Considering how cheesy and cheap Japanese dramas can get when someone decides to get some easy ratings by basing it on a popular manga or anime, it really isn’t too bad.

So as long as you take it with a pinch of salt, you should really enjoy it – you might even binge it in a single night.

The Cast

As for the actors, there might be a few cast members you recognise.

The character of Shin is played by the lead singer of the rock band ‘Radwimps’.

The bad-ass female member of the group is played by Rila Fukushima (Wolverine, Ghost in a Shell).

Another member is played by Rena Matsui (SKE48, AKB48 idol group).

So if you’re looking for something to watch, or just want to practice listening to Japanese, I recommend give Netflix’s Million Yen Women a go.